calling

Hearing God's Call and Saying "Yes!"

The paradox of saying yes to God is that it can be at once deeply fulfilling and utterly terrifying. Think of poor Samuel who was faced with sharing some really bad news with Eli first thing the next morning, before he had had a chance to even begin to internalize what it meant that God had spoken to him. But God was with him that first morning, and throughout his life. I truly believe if we are responding to a call from God, then God will help us do what needs to be done.

Listen to or read Sharon’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

Calling Us By Name

Grant that when we hear God’s voice, we may know who's calling us, and then follow. Like animals who know their caregivers, or children who know their parents’ voices, like siblings, friends, or lovers who instantly turn at the sound of their names and the unique voices of those speaking, Jesus lovingly and longingly calls out our names, beckoning us into relationship with God.

Listen to or read Ryan’s entire sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter by clicking “Read More.”

2 Epiphany: What Good Comes Out of Nazareth?

2 Epiphany: What Good Comes Out of Nazareth?

Last week we talked about Epiphany, about the season that we’re in, and that the word Epiphany means manifestation. Throughout this season we are hearing stories of the manifestation of Jesus to various people. Not just encounters with Jesus, but moments in which Jesus’s true identity is revealed, moments when people realize that He is the Incarnation of God in this world. We began this season with the story of the Magi and the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles; then we heard the story of Jesus’s baptism where the heavens opened up and that voice said This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. The manifestations continue today in the story of the calling of two of Jesus’s disciples.